A woman caught on film dumping a cat in a rubbish bin has been charged with two criminal offences, the RSPCA said yesterday.

Mary Bale (45) has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a cat, a tabby called Lola, and of not providing the animal with a suitable environment. She is due to appear before Coventry Magistrates' Court on October 19.

Lola was found by her owners Darryl Mann and his wife Stephanie crying for help inside the wheelie bin about 15 hours after she had gone missing.

"Ms Bale was witnessed on CCTV footage stroking a cat, then looking around and picking the cat up by the scruff of its neck before putting it in a wheelie bin, shutting the lid and walking away from the scene. At no point did she return," the RSPCA said.

Ms Bale was traced after Mr Mann, who had installed security cameras outside his house after vandals damaged his car, put footage of the incident on YouTube. It provoked widespread media attention and outrage from cat lovers, prompting an RSPCA investigation.

Ms Bale told a British newspaper she thought it would be funny to put the cat in the bin, but later issued a statement apologising for her actions.